New research has concluded that sustainable biochar could mitigate up to 12 percent of human-caused greenhouse gas emissions worldwide. Biochar is a sort of charcoal material made of organic materials like plants and wood. When produced sustainably, the ability of biochar to sequester greenhouse gases is greater than using the same organic materials to create bio-based fuels.

A side effect of using sustainable biochar is that it increases soil fertility, so it has the potential to increase food production in areas where the soil is currently too poor to sustain crops.